Yorba Linda coach Shardad Djahangiry speaks with his team during a time out during in the Mustangs' CIF-SS playoff 14-5 victory over Don Lugo on Nov. 16. MARK CHODZKO, FOR THE REGISTER

Standing less than 20 feet from where an ecstatic Segerstrom boys water polo team celebrated its first CIF-SS Division 7 title by jumping into the pool, a group of teenage boys was looking anywhere but at the celebration behind them. It was an emotional and painful reminder of what could have been.

Yet, just as he had all season, Yorba Linda's 23-year-old water polo coach pulled his team together and rained praise on them. The Mustangs may have come up short on the scoreboard, but the 9-8 overtime loss at the Woollett Aquatic Center on Saturday didn't erase the fact that they were the first in program history to reach the CIF-SS finals.

“This team will be the standard I hold my team to for as long as I'm here,” Mustangs coach Shardad Djahangiry said after the loss. “League champions for the first time, runner-ups CIF finals; that doesn't happen very often, that's not guaranteed. I just told them I could not be more proud and I love them. I love every one of them.”

Djahangiry wasn't sugar coating. He coached the freshman/sophomore team in 2009 and took over as varsity coach two years later, so he's seen – and helped drive – the rapid progression of Yorba Linda's water polo program. In 2011, the Mustangs finished second in league. Last season they shared their first Empire League title, but after losing in the playoff quarterfinals, wanted more.

“I sat the seniors down, sat the juniors down and I kind of just said, ‘Hey what's the goal here. What do we want to do?'” Djahangiry recalled. “Everyone bought in. We had an incredible weight room season. Swim season we won league as well, we just kept going into the next thing, and everyone got just hungrier and hungrier.”

That hunger led to the Mustangs' 24-6, 6-0 season, fueled by a handful of passionate seniors that Djahangiry first started coaching on the freshman/sophomore team four years ago. Over the past year, those seniors developed the team into a close-knit group determined to get better.

“We all believed in each other that we could make it this far; we all pushed each other, wanting to make it here,” said senior Connor Pyne, whose goal late in the fourth quarter Saturday forced the overtime against Segerstrom. “As you can see, we're all balling our eyes out, but I feel like it was a big step up. We all wanted it as a team this year and we all pushed ourselves. And this year, even though we lost, we're going to still stay together.”

Djahangiry was adamant about not taking credit for Yorba Linda's success this season. But it's clear that the intensive preparation he began in December with weight room training has had an effect.

“I guess that these kids started to mold after the way I've tried to build this program,” said Djahangiry, who played water polo at Esperanza. “I've had this vision of the program and this is the first team that's fully hit that vision.”

Since he began coaching, Djahangiry has talked constantly with mentor Galen Diaz, longtime coach of Esperanza aquatics, about ways to improve the program. The advice has helped immensely, he says. But the players point to Djahangiry's cool demeanor and genuine friendship – Djahangiry often stayed long after practices to chat with players – as the biggest boon to the team's unity over the past year.

“It's just always amazing to have Shardad as a coach because he's the most calm, respectful coach you can have,” senior Austin Van Ginkel said. “And he's best friends with everyone on the team.”

Next season poses a handful of questions. In addition to losing seniors such as Van Ginkel, Pyne and goalie Connor Aguilera, Yorba Linda will be moved up to a tougher division. But Djahangiry isn't worried; even as seniors age out, the bonds Yorba Linda forged this season will continue.

“We'll be back,” Djahangiry said. “This wasn't an all or nothing. We might be bumping up leagues, but we'll be back. We know what we're supposed to do, and we're going to be there.”

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